Arran Distillery lost up to 5000 Pounds a year in the early stages of the operation. This has narrowed over the years. In 2998 it made a loss of 137.000 Pounds and was 16.000 Pounds in 2009 by a turnover of 2.000.000 Pounds

The company is said to be on course of 40.000 profit this year.

Euan Mitchell, managing director is now seeking outside funds for the group which isCurrently privately owned by more than 100 local investors.

ISLE OF ARRAN DISTILLERS

Isle of Arran Distillers has secured a 3.000.000 pounds cash injection from Clydesdale Bankto build a warehouse on the island, to increase production

Bere

Pronounced 'bear' is a six - row barley and Britain's oldest cereal and currently cultivateda very small scale by a few crofters on (mainly) Orkney (5 à 12 hectares, Islay ( for Bruich-laddich Distillery), Shetland, South- and North Uist, Barra and Benbecula.

Bere, a very old grain that may have been brought to Britain in the 9th century by the Vikings,or even from earlier settlements.

Bere, or in its early days also called "bygge", "big", "bear", or "beir" perhaps originating fromthe old Norse term from "bygg"which is barley.

On Orkney the meal is called beremeal, but the crop is called corn.

Bere is a landrace adapted to grow on soils of a low P H and a very short growing season butwith long houirs of daylight as it is sown in spring and harvested in summer, and thus sownlate and harvested first, it is also known as "the 90 - day barley".

Bere was important in the 19th and 20th centuries in the Highland and Islands of Scotland.

Bere has a long history of use in making alcoholic beverages, Historical accounts from the15th century onward show that Orkney produced a large amount of malt and beer, and aancient tradition of making bere - based home - brew survives until this day on Orkney.

Also the Campbeltown whisky distilleries and breweries used large quantities of bere from Orkney during the 19th century.

But the advent of higher yielding barley varities led to a general decline of Bere.

It survives in cultivation thanks to Baron Mills, Birsay, also known as the Boardhouse Millon Orkney, a 18th century watermill, which purchases the Bere to produce beremealwhich is locally used in bread, biscuits, beremeal bannock and sold to produce beer and whisky.

At Baron Mills, a kiln for drying the bere is integral with the building, grinding is done in winter and during the summer the Mill is open to tourists and the machinery is demonstatedby the miller, Rae Phillips (2012).

The Birsay Heritage Trust is the owner of Baron Mills

In the early 21st century some distillers began experimenting again with bere to produce whisky and in 2006 the most northern brewery of Scotland released a bere - based microbrew.

The Agronomy Institute at Orkney College U H I has had a research program on Bere since2002. The program is aimed at developing new markets for the crop and developing bestpractices for growing it more easily and with increased yields

And now in 2012, Bruichladdich and Arran distilleries also produce whisky from bere.

Bere, Scotland's oldest cultivated barley, was commonly used for the production of whiskyuntil the middle of the nineteenth century. Although bthis 6 - row barley is well - suited tothe short growing season of the north of Scotland, it is now only grown commercially on afew Scottish islands, including Orkney, where Orkney's Agronomy Institute is developingnew markets for the crop. Modern barleyvarietes long since eclipsed bere in the whiskyindustry but, as this bottling testifies it can still produce a dramatic and distinctive single malt.

The Arran Malt - Orkney Bere

This single malt scotch whisky was produced as a collaboration between the Agronomy In -stitute of Orkney College (University of the Highlands & Islands and isle of Arran Distillers.

The bere was grown on Orkney before being malted in Inverness and subsequently distilledand matured on Arran.

It has been matured for over 8 years in American oak barrels and bottled at 46 % withoutChill - Filtration or the addition of artificial colouring. This is a taste of whisky as it used to be.

THE ARRAN MALT

THE FIENDISH FINALE

The Devil's Punch Bowl Chapter III is a limited edition expression of The Arran Single Maltinspired by the glacial hollow 'Coire na Ciche' whose sinister presence dominates thenorth - east coast of Arran. Our fiendish Distiller James MacTaggart has persued thedarkest corners of our warehouses one last time to hand pick the finest casks for the thirdand final release of this infernal trilogy of devilish drams. Casks across a range of agesand types have been chosen to create perhaps the most distinctive Devils's Punch Bowlyet.

Bottled at natural strength and without chill - filtration, The Devil's Punch Bowl is a tes-timony to the consistent superior quality of The Arran Malt across each year of production.Further details of every cask hand picked for this bottling can be found at www.arranwhisky.com/stag.

Dare you be tempted by the Devil one final time.

THE ARRAN MALT

THE DEVIL'S PUNCH BOWL CHAPTER NO. 03

A faultless selection of Isle of Arran Distillers fiendishly good casks:

Sherry Butt: Cask No. 1648/1643/1827/1828/2105/219/220/ 714

French Oak Barrique: Cask No. 696/697/698/700/701/703/704/705

Bourbon Barrel: Cask No. 042/050/052/074/079

Saturday 25 July 2015

Isle of Arran Distillers has reported record results despite a challenging year for the whisky industry.The company said that turnover in the past year had risen by 21 per cent and net profit was up by 51 per cent - the best performance since the business began in 1995.It said its success was being driven by brand sales, which were ahead by 25 per cent, in contrast to a slight decline for the Scotch whisky industry as a whole.Export sales for Isle of Arran climbed, with key markets for growth including Canada, Germany and Taiwan. The firm's single malts are now available in 45 countries and it said further markets are "being explored".After a succession of healthy profits reported over the last five years, turnover for the independent distiller has more than doubled since 2010.Managing director Euan Mitchell said: "In a challenging period for Scotch whisky our continued growth is testament to a focus on quality and a clear strategy well executed."Some people believe when the big companies in the industry sneeze we all catch a cold but this is not our experience. Interest in smaller, independent brands such as ours is surging and we are not even scratching the surface in global terms."As well as driving export sales, the Arran Malt range is set for increased distribution in the UK with Marks & Spencer, where two products will be available in stores later this year.The distiller hailed the success of a repackaging of its core product range, which launched in the second half of 2014. Combined with a schedule of limited edition releases, particularly the final release of the Devil's Punch Bowl series, sales of Arran single malts were up by 23 per cent over the previous year.Mitchell added: "We have invested to support the progress we expect to make. Two new pot stills are on order and will be installed in late 2016."This will allow production to double beyond one million litres of pure alcohol once fully commissioned."We have never been the kind of distillery to produce more than we expect to sell, so this boost in capacity and capability is purely a reflection of the anticipated demand for Arran malts."

The Isle of Arran Distillery has released the first of its limited edition Smugglers' Series whiskies, which celebrates the distillery's 21st birthday.The Smugglers' Series is said to "honour the tradition" of the illicit whisky trade that operated from Arran and up the Clyde to Glasgow.Euan Mitchell, managing direct of Isle of Arran Distillery said: "We're justifiably proud of the whisky-making heritage of the island. Visitors have long been fascinated in the illicit industry that ran between Arran and Glasgow in centuries past."With the distillery turning 21, it felt like the perfect time to commemorate that exciting time in Scotch whisky's heritage with a series that pays homage to its ancestors whilst looking forward to the distillery's future."The series' packaging is designed to be "reminiscent of the hiding places used in the 18th and 19th centuries". Smugglers' Series Vol. 1, The Illicit Stills, is housed in a cut-out compartment of a would-be book.The Illicit Stills has "a robust body and heavier peat influence, redolent of the whisky produced on the island in days gone by". It has been matured in bourbon barrels and port pipes and is non-chill filtered, with no artificial colouring.Bottled at 56.4.% ABV, The Illicit Stills is limited to 8,700 bottles worldwide and is priced at £84.99.